Welcome to this progressive muscle relaxation.
I invite you to find a comfortable position,
Either seated or lying down.
Once you've settled in,
Go ahead and close your eyes and take a few deep breaths,
Seeing if you can make the exhale last even longer than the inhale.
Before we move forward with the exercise,
Please know that if any parts of your body are injured,
You can simply focus on sending healing energy to those parts during that time.
Now let's begin the progressive muscle relaxation.
First,
We'll start with the muscles in your face.
I'm going to count to five,
And during that count,
I'd like you to tense up all the muscles in your face as tightly as you can.
Forehead,
Eyes,
Ears,
Nose,
Mouth,
And chin.
And then,
When I say the word relax,
Please release all of that tension you're holding.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Relax.
So let's pause here,
And notice what it feels like to have all that tension drain out of your face.
Next,
We'll move down to your neck and shoulders,
And we'll do the same thing on my count.
Scrunch up all the muscles in your neck and shoulders,
And then drop and release at the word relax.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Relax.
Observe how it feels to let go of the tension,
And notice the difference between the tense and relaxed states in your body.
And next,
We'll move down to the arms and hands,
Tensing up all the muscles in those parts on my count,
And then releasing at the word relax.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Relax.
Notice what it feels like to have let go of the tension in the arms and hands.
And next,
Your abdomen,
Tightening those muscles on my count.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Relax.
Feel the sense of relaxation spreading through that area.
Next,
The buttocks and thighs on my count.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Relax.
Take a few breaths to let that relaxation soak in.
And now the calves and feet.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Relax.
Feel the tension melt away from these areas,
And notice what feels different between tense and relaxed.
And finally,
I invite you,
On my count,
To tense your whole body,
Every muscle from your head to your toes.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Relax.
Let's breathe out a deep sigh as you feel that tension flow out of your whole body,
As everything sinks down into total relaxation.
Please remember that by practicing progressive muscle relaxation,
You can become more aware of tension in your body,
And learn to release it whenever it arises.
And when you're ready,
You can open your eyes.
Thank you for being here with me today.
